Smithsonian May Need Raise

U.S. News to Note

July 27, 2001

WASHINGTON -- An outside report says the Smithsonian Institution may have to ask Congress for $1.5 billion during the next decade to repair its 16 museums and the National Zoo -- more than $250 million more than the Smithsonian estimated. The report, made public Thursday, said the Smithsonian properly used $208 million that Congress provided for repairs between 1996 and 2000. But it found the buildings so old, the exhibits so popular and maintenance so inadequate that more work is necessary.